After hours: Pouya Parsafar

ITP.net talks to Pouya Parsafar, managing director at Enterprise Systems, to find out what he believes will be the biggest technology impact in 2016 and how he deals with stress.

ITP.net: How did you come to be in your current role?

Pouya Parsafar: I started my career from rock bottom, in the mail room in the local telecom company in the UK. I progressed to be a local account manager to eventually work as account director and sales manager within Middle East and Africa. I moved to the Middle East working with enterprise and carrier brands and in 2012 felt confident and experienced enough to start Enterprise Systems as a sustainable venture.

ITP.net: What is your management philosophy?

PP: My philosophy is to empower my team to make decisions and follow through to see and feel their success. Consistent hard work is a major part of my philosophy.

Itp.net: What was your first computer, and when did you first use it?

PP: My first computer was an “Oric-1”. This was pre-personal computers. The coding needed to be done at machine level. It was a load of fun to have a computer in the early 1980’s. This is at the same time as Commodor-64 and Spectrum-ZX series. The first program I inputted in to the computer was a basic game which took one week to enter and one week to debug and 10 minutes to play.

ITP.net: What is your greatest achievement?

PP: My greatest achievement is an ongoing project in making sure my son turns to be a well-rounded, kind & confident individual.

ITP.net: What is your biggest mistake?

PP: Not travelling earlier to other countries to experience other cultures. My first travel was within Europe at the age of 20. My first business travel was to Africa at the age of 30. I should have travelled and possibly lived in other countries earlier.

ITP.net: What is your fondest memory of working in the Middle East IT industry?

PP: The people I interact with. The diversity of cultures within the Middle East as well as their political and religious beliefs fascinate me.

ITP.net: What technology do you think will have the biggest impact on the market in 2016?

PP: Cloud will be the technology to invest in. As companies expand and open up in different locations, centralising data and services will be more efficient and cost effective. With faster and more reliable networks, cloud services become much more viable to implement.

ITP.net: What’s the best way to deal with stress?

PP: Spending time with my kids takes my stress away. I spend most of my weekend and free evenings with my son and daughter and learn so much from them as they see life in such a simplistic logical way that allow me to relook at my issues in a more simplistic lateral way.

Nationality: British Iranian

Number of years in the industry: 27 Years
Favourite food: SushiHoliday destination: ChinaMusic: RockDream car: 1969 Mercedes 280 SL PagodaGadget: Breitling Emergency watchMovie/book: CasablancaPiece of advice: You never lose, you either win or learn.